Journey to Wellness

Use this blog to help you on your journey to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual … wellness.     

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How to stay motivated on your health journey? 

You can be motivated to start your journey right now, then that feeling of excitement can disappear 60 seconds later. 

Motivation is only temporary, which means it was not meant to last. Its purpose is to get you further each time it hits you. This is why you must develop ways of constantly motivating yourself literally … every second of every day. There are so many distraction around us; they come in the form of friends, family, co-workers, fast food places, restaurants, donut shop, bars, television, parties, and the list goes on and on. 

That’s why you should plan out how you’re going to keep yourself motivated each time … all the time. 

I can’t find ways to keep myself motivated 

If you’re interested in maintaining motivation to block out the distractions and keep the consistency needed to build up momentum on your health journey, here are a few suggestions; keeping in mind there are much more your can do once you use your imagination: 

 Find, print and display a target body picture

 Listen to motivational and inspirations videos and audio

 Surround yourself with people on their health journey

 Avoid the unnecessary parties, bars and other social settings

 Keep more visible motivational cues around you daily

      Identify a target outfit 

Like I said there are more ways; just get creative. You can check out www.nathanlsweeting.com to get the health coaching you may need to be successful on our health and wellness journey.

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What do I call it a health journey? 

The definition of a journey is: The act of travelling from one place to another. So when I speak of your health journey, I’m referring to path taken to get from where you are (i.e. You haven’t exercised in 3 years or you currently exercise every day) to where you want to be (i.e. You want to lose / gain 60 pounds or increase your athletic conditioning for competitive sports).

Have a Plan 

It’s the road you take to accomplish your health goals. There has to be a starting point. If you don’t know where to start, it’s best to align yourself with a qualified health coach to guide you through the journey successfully.   

Maybe you can start with identifying your goals. Chose a target body picture; this is a visual representation of what you want to look like after your transformation. It can be an old picture of yourself or a picture you found online. From there, you can set daily and weekly goals. 

There are going to be times when it hurts, you feel like giving up, you try to talk yourself out of doing that extra repetition or showing up for a exercise session. There will be times of disappointment and discouragement, but that’s all a part of the journey. 

Listen Carefully 

The most important part your journey (and any journey for that matter) is that you keep going. Once you keep pressing forward, you’re still on your journey and on your way to accomplishing the goal. The journey also means the scale might go up and down sometimes, it all depends on where you’re at in your journey. Don’t let the numbers on the scale solely dictate your success of failure. While on your journey set realistic S.M.A.R.T. goals and keep your health coach close to you. 

An accountability partner makes your health journey go a whole lot smoother. 

So while you’re travelling from where you are to where you want to be, just remember to keep going until you hit target!

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How do I meal prep and stay lean 

I don’t really like cooking or grocery shopping for that matter, so I try to limit both as much as possible. It’s nearly impossible to be successful on your health journey unless you’re mean prepping (preparing your meals in advance). 

My routine 

I grocery shop and cook twice per week. This provides me with meals for the whole week. So if I want fish for example, I get a big bag of it and probably bake 3 or 4 pans full. After cooking, I pack my Tupperware bowls for the following day and leave the rest in the fridge.  Every morning before leaving the house, I pack my lunch bag. 

First I partially warm each bowl in the microwave to room temperature. I don’t want it too hot, because some meals I don’t eat until almost the ending of the day. I normally pack 3 bowls: 1 for my protein, 1 for carbs and veggies and a third one to eat from. Every few hours I have a phone alarm set that says, “EAT NOW”; yes that keeps me on track.  If I’m driving I simply pull to the side, take up my food and eat. Each meal takes me about 5 minutes to eat; no time to waste. 

There are a few other ways you can meal prep, but we’ll cover that in another post. Until then, stay lean and meal prep.

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2 Tips on meal prepping 

While on your health journey, meal prepping is necessary for your survival. 

Equip yourself 

Be sure you stock out the kitchen with Tupperware for storage after cooking, measuring spoons and cups, a food scale (nothing fancy) to ensure you stick to your portion sizes. Also keep a lunch bag handy to transport your food around.

You want bulk 

Shop and cook in bulk to save time and money. For this you’ll need bigger pots and pans and a good way to do it is to pretend you’re cooking for a family. You’ll need a little extra money each trip to the grocery store, but it also means you’ll be visiting it less frequently.

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Does starting your health journey mean cutting out the ‘bad’ stuff instantly? 

I believe in daily steps and goals, so if you’ve had the same habit for years, I don’t expect you to just stop it instantly. Don’t get me wrong, you can instantly stop something like that with a just one decision, but that’s not the approach we’re taking here. 

The grease habit 

I used to eat fast food at least 3 times every day, every week for about 5 years and I loved it. I have a special love in my heart for grease. Much to my dismay, my health journey required the elimination of it, so I took baby steps. I went to eating it 2 then 1 time per day, then once every other day, then once a week. After about 2 months I had broken my grease craving! I’m not saying I don’t eat it sometimes; I’m saying I don’t have to any more. 

Just quitting something you’re used to and love all at once is a recipe for disaster in most cases. This applies to any form of unhealthy living, whether it be drinking sodas, alcohol, eating pastries or even smoking. It normally take me 30 days to get rid of an existing habit, but in this case it took about 2. 

Start gradually taking steps towards a healthier you; the more important it is to you, the quicker you will conform.

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2 Ways to exercise with no equipment 

No equipment? No worries. I’ve seen many transformations using alternative methods; you just have to get creative.  Of course, you can always use your body weight; after that, it’s all about creativity. 

Home training 

I pretty much use everything around the house that can provide resistance.  I create dumbbells from gallon bottles filled with water, sand or coins, and canned foods. My 40lb daughter acts as my barbell when bench pressing and doing front delt raises. The L-shaped kitchen counter is used for leg raises and pretty much any counter space is used for triceps dips.  For core, I also hang backward from a door and do leg and knee raises. 

Outdoor training 

I love outdoor workouts, especially on beaches because I get the scenery as well. Look for any park bench to use for things like dips and all you need is one step to do step-ups. If on the beach, go in water neck deep and do arm exercises like side lat raises and back exercises like back rows. 

The point is, there’s always a way.

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Your circle tells a lot about you 

I had many many people I used to hang out with daily and weekly. This was years ago before I was blessed with my wife and daughter. Back then it was all about the party ... and no one could have partied like us. We were the only people in the club on Monday and Tuesday nights. 

Professional switch 

After a while, in 2010 I built up the courage to leave my 9 to 5 job to become a fulltime entrepreneur; the partying faded away … along the multitude of party friends. My circle then became significantly smaller and filled with other entrepreneurs who were just as or even more hungry for success than I was. As my businesses grew, the caliber of entrepreneurs I saw on a consistent bases improved as well. At this point the drinking buddies were only a distant memory. 

The Ah-ha moment 

About 1 year ago, I became obsessed with success, growing my businesses and building my empire for my family; to the point where I have no social life. I needed some cash to take my business to the next level, so I looked to the people in my life, and they were more interested in borrowing money from me … as I was “the successful one.” It was at that point that I promised myself to only keep those in my circle who are on the same mission as me. As a result, there are exactly 2 people who I hang around now and even that isn’t on a consistent bases because we’re always working. Even my conversations with others are restricted to being in line with my goals. 

Because I narrowed my circle, I’m able to better focus on the goal and achieve consistent progress.

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How to complete a day’s worth of exercise using 3 - 5 minutes 

Between my job and my personal life there is no way I can spend an hour or even 30 minutes exercising. I’ve heard this statement so many times before from people before they became clients. The truth is there’s always a way and we all know we make time for things we want. With that, here’s what to do: 

100 squat goal 

Let’s say your daily goal is to complete 100 squats. As soon as you leave your bed in the mornings, do 20. While you’re brushing your teeth to 20 more. Do another 20 while fixing your hair. Standing in front of the stove can be boring at times, so spice it up with another 20. Then before you leave the house, pop out another 20 just for the sake of it.  What do you end up with? Hitting your daily goal of 100 squats; and did I mention before you even left home! 

Repetitions matter 

I had a photo shoot to prepare for, so I started a ridiculously hectic training program without even thinking about how I’ll pull it off. It required gym training and there was no way I could hit the gym 5 – 6 times in day. So, I split my training session into 2 gym visits … morning and evening. The most important part was to get in the required number of repetitions. Safe to say I was more than ready for my shoot. Take the number of targeted repetitions of each exercise and divide it by the frequency of available time in your day.  That can range from 30 seconds to hours. Just make sure you complete the total workout before bedtime.

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3 signs that your cardio is sufficient 

What kind of cardio should I do? How do I know when it’s effective? Both common questions. Cardio can come in the form of cycling, elliptical, swimming, running, dancing etc. Here are some guidelines: 

1. Sweating 

Depending on the type, you should aim for your cardio to cause sweating. This is a great way to release excess water weight and is a great sign that the body is working. 

2. Sing your song 

When you are in the middle of your cardio session, your blood is pumping and you’re on a roll, try to sing the chorus of your favorite song. If you can do that easily without skipping a beat, then increase your cardio intensity. You should be so out of breath that it becomes difficult to sing without pausing. 

3. Elevated heart rate 

Keep track of your heart rate as cardio is meant to elevate it, because it involves the exertion of energy. Even if you jump up and down in one place, that’s cardio and will elevate your heart beat. But again, I say monitor it, as some people have various respiratory and heart conditions that needs special attention.

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Do I have to wear a waist-trainer/band to shrink my waist? 

For the first 3 months of my transformation journey, I used a combination of my wife’s maternity waist band (feel free to laugh) and some other name-brand waist trainers. While some of them worked to a certain extent (not the maternity band), they were not nearly as effective as the ever faithful diet and exercise. 

If not the band, then what? 

The waist trainers felt very uncomfortable and restricted me from doing certain types of exercises. When I finally got tired of them, I started focusing more on eating properly and core exercises. The result … a reduction in my waist size. 

You can remove the band, giving yourself a wider range of motion for core work, then start sculpting. Be sure to target the upper and lower abs, obliques and lower back.

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Do resistance bands really work? 

I had a pack of resistance bands gathering dust for years, because I always went to the gym to train; in my mind the bands were only for beginners. About a year ago, I had to start training at home for a while, so I dusted off the bands and used them to shred my body to a new level of muscular definition. 

The ‘resistance bands’ gym 

The full pack of bands gave me all the resistance needed and I was also able to switch up weights. The pack I’m referring to also has a door anchor, handles and ankle attachment. You can literally re-create a gym using them. Having a pack handy on your health journey is like having a spare tire if you have a car.  I always recommend to clients who are the travelling type to take their bands with them and create their gym wherever they stay. 

I have also designed full body training routines for clients using only resistance bands coupled with body weight exercises.

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3 Reasons to celebrate your problems 

I look at every problem as an opportunity for growth and personal development. 

1. Increased mental and emotional strength 

Anytime you experience something negative, dig deep down and you will find the positivity associated with it. When I first became an entrepreneur in 2010, I got many doors slammed in my face and heard a lot of No’s, resulting in me questioning the value of my product and myself. I got to the point where I expected to hear a ‘No’ when giving my pitch.  Little did I realize then, that those No’s were just Yes’s in a different form. My early “failures” forced me to study sales training, which taught me to expect a No at first (it’s human nature). Now I embrace the No and take great pride in turning them into Yes’s! 

2. Eliminate some options 

On the journey to success in whatever area you seek, you will either succeed or find ways it cannot work; win or learn. I tried leaving out my diet plan and just sticking to the training, but was not getting the muscular definition wanted. Then I tried the opposite, but only got smaller (which was not my goal). That forced me to focus on both; the result … a six-pack! Learn from your mistakes and setbacks and use them as ways to improve. 

3. Much needed experience 

What’s the best way to learn? Taking action. What does this give you? Much needed experience. 

Because of the obstacles I overcame while transforming my body, along with knowledge gained from studying, I was able to coach my clients through their transformations. The fact is, if you are consistenly moving towards your goals, you will encounter problems. And each one you solve, moves you one step closer to becoming an expert in that area.

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Eating healthy saves money 

You’ve probably heard before that eating healthy is too expensive; well I’ve personally put that to the test. 

$30.00 Budget 

Before I began my health journey and when my job required me to be on the road all day, my diet consisted of Wendy’s (breakfast), McDonald’s (lunch), and Domino’s (dinner). For snacks I would have a piece of macaroni, Danish, or just eat a whole meal … did I mention this was every single day?  This ran me into about $30 daily. Not to mention it caused me to greatly increase my body fat percentage. 

After starting my health journey with Elite Wellness Solutions, my diet completely changed. My daily diet consisted of 4 meals and some snacks. An average meal would be something like, 6oz protein, 1 cup carbs, 1 cup veggies. I meal prepped, which means I bought my groceries in bulk (lowering the cost) and cooked. That same $30 got me a large can of tuna ($11), a bag of rice ($8) and some fresh veggies ($8). Now that’s enough food to last me for a few days well.  Oh, and I had $3 dollars change! 

There are some expensive healthy food out there, but there are even more expensive unhealthy food too. 

Among the many the many benefits of healthy eating, you can now add … saving money.

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Which is better for training: gym or home? 

I’ve personally been able to transform my body using both methods as well as seen a countless number of people do the same. So which is better?  The gym is the best place to build a body (unless you have a full sized gym in your home of course). 

The gym case 

Don’t get me wrong, depending of your fitness goal, at home training will still do the trick. I prefer the gym because it has all the equipment needed for my training session … dumbbells, barbells, cables, machines, benches etc. It also gives me a chance to leave the comfort of my home, because home is where my bed, sofa and TV are. I’ve found it takes twice the discipline to train at home than the gym. I can also feed off of others’ energy in the gym as they train too and I learn new techniques from watching others sometimes. 

Home works too 

Now, having said all of that, I was still able to fully sculpt my body while home training. If you’re going to train at home at least make sure you have a pack of resistance bands. These allow you to complete almost any exercise that can be done in gym. Also you can get creative and create a makeshift gym with everyday household items. Training at home eliminates the drive to and from the gym, which saves time. There is no waiting for machines to be freed and definitely no hassle of being overcrowded. Training times are decided by you and not restricted to gym operating hours. And let’s not forget, the gym membership money that you will save. 

So how to know which one is best for you? 

If you’re the shredding type, have a whole lot of discipline, and don’t want to go anywhere, then home training is for you. However, if you want to bulk up or lack discipline or motivation then head to the gym.

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3 Reasons why diet and exercise is better than surgery 

In the pursuit of a body transformation, there are gastric bypass, gastric banding, Sleeve gastrectomy, and Electric Implant, just to name a few. However, regular diet and exercise trumps them all. Here’s why: 

1. Habit 

In a lot of cases, surgery leads to short-term results because you have not developed a habit of healthy living. You see being healthy is a lifestyle, which means it’s something you do every day. If you’re someone who is used to eating junk food daily, and you have not conditioned your mind to expect otherwise, you will re-gain that weight eventually. Your taste buds will be longing for that grease you’re so used to. In contrast, developing a healthy lifestyle means training your body to eat and expect the right foods, getting used to meal preparation and participating in a regular exercise routine (training your muscles and joints). You must build momentum for lasting results. 

2. Appreciation 

The real success and satisfaction is in the journey. I’ve had days in the gym when I pushed myself past what I thought was my limit; lifted heavier, trained longer and constantly reaching new personal bests. There are days when I only got a few hours’ sleep and still woke up at 4am to go train. I remember seeing my first 2 top abs forming, the first sign of muscular definition in my arms, legs, shoulders etc. Being able to perform 5 wide-grip pullups without stopping completely made my day. Going through the motions of transforming your body is the real success and allows you to appreciate your body and accomplishments all the more. 

5. Save the dollars 

Surgery can cost thousands of dollars and still not lead to lasting results. And, depending on your size, you’d still be required to lose a certain amount of weight to even qualify for the surgery. Joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer, enrolling a fitness program or even exercising right from your home are all cheaper ways of transforming your body. Hit the grocery store to stock up on the necessary items and meal prep at home also saves a ton of money. 

Not everyone is looking to save money, but for those who are … do the right thing.

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How long will it take to achieve your fitness goals? 

Fitness goals is a very broad topic and can mean losing body fat, gaining lean muscle mass, increased stamina, conditioning, strength, six-pack abs, full definition and the list goes on. You can start to achieve your goal within a few days or it can take a few years. 

My goals

I set out to transform my body because I wanted visible muscular definition and my six-pack abs. Within 3 month I shed 30 pounds and 9% body fat. But that wasn’t all. My goal was also to increase my strength. When I first started I struggle to bench press the 45 pound barbell alone for 5 repetitions (reps), but within about a week I was up to 10 reps much easier. After a few weeks I was able to add a 45 pound plate on each side taking the weight to 135 pounds total. 

I completely hated cardio and the goal was to complete 45 minutes on the elliptical without almost dying afterwards, but that didn’t happen until I was few weeks into my journey. 

So you see the times it takes to see progress all depends on where you are now and where you want to be. Different goals require different times, but the important thing is that you don’t only rely on weight to measure your success. Set different fitness targets and measure your progress accordingly.

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Focus on fat loss; not weight loss 

Most of our clients at Elite Wellness Solutions have a goal to lose weight, which means they want to look smaller than they are now. But the question I always ask is, “But how do you want to look after that weight loss?’ 

The common problem 

Focusing on weight loss normally means eating a bunch of leaves (salads) and doing a lot of cardio. Both are great, and of course will lead to a smaller you, but also leads to lose skin, stretch marks and cellulite. You see when you shed those pounds in that way, you’re losing primarily muscle, not fat. 

Whereas, focusing on fat loss allows you to lose primarily fat and sculpt/build muscle. 

My formula 

I use my diet and cardio to primarily shed body fat and my resistance training to sculpt my muscles; ultimately building my body. People ask me all the time which is more important the diet or the exercise; and my answer is always both. I’ve watched so many guys come in the gym month after month, work hard, but still walk away with the same body. Why is this? They’re training, but leaving out a proper diet. Then I’ve seen people eating “healthily” but not properly transforming because of the lack of exercise. 

Your diet helps you to get bigger or smaller and your training helps with the way you look when you get bigger or smaller.  If the goal is to lose a large amount of body fat, hit the gym for a 2 hour training session daily; with at least 45 minutes of it being cardio. And of course, the proper diet completes the equation.